


A Stray

by Eiryia



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Fluff, Reylo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:55:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25683142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eiryia/pseuds/Eiryia
Summary: Rey just started her last year of studies on her literature degree when she runs into a rather intense fellow in the campus cafeteria one rainy afternoon. Things get even more interesting when the man she now can’t take her eyes off jumps startled in his chair when her name is called by the barista handing her the coffee she just ordered.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 10
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

Having sprinted in the rain to get back inside Rey was still huffing when she sat down by the large stained glass window at the back of the coffee shop close to campus. Taking out her laptop she was relived to find it still dry despite the sorry state of her leather book bag which had seen its better days. Peeling off her soaked black trench coat she hung it over the chair to dry, touching the shoulders of her burgundy sweater to check if the coat had failed to protect her against the rain.

Deciding to go get her coffee before spreading out her notes she noticed a man sitting a few seats over from her favorite spot. He was massive so how she could have missed his presence up until now was beyond her comprehension. 

Waiting for her coffee she kept sneaking glances at him because now that she was aware of him being there was it simply impossible to ignore him. His features were sharp and animated, the way he focused so intently on what he was working on made him seem oddly cute, sitting there hunched over his work, brows furrowed lips puckered like some kid spelling out each word they were writing. 

Her coffee order got called out and to her surprise had the man’s head poked up to the sound of it. Did they share the same name? Or was he familiar with her for some reason? She found both theories highly unlikely. 

Taking a sip of her coffee still standing by the counter she suddenly became aware of a stare so intense she could almost feel her clothes catch fire. 

«What?» She mumbled, lips still touching the lid off her coffee as she turned slightly to meet his glance full on. 

That startled him and he, blushed? That’s what she thought she saw before he looked down at his work again. Chuckling she made her way back to her seat, unpacked her notes and began working on her latest assignment, but her focus was nowhere to be found. Her eyes kept darting to the man who’s back had now returned to that tense hard at work position. Her mind kept poking fun at him, tiny stabs like: he’s going to need a physiotherapist at one point, or a cane.. Which were silly thoughts really, because with a stature like that was she sure he had to be working out.

The thoughts had barely formed in her mind before he got up and left however. He was tall and wide.. and quite possibly quite angry? Still handsome though, she added watching him pack up his things. As he left had he turned in the door, throwing her one last glance. 

"What’s up with this guy?" She mumbled to herself his fiery facial expression now stuck as a vivd loop in her mind. 

A couple of days later and she found out exactly who he was, her new classmate having returned from a gap year abroad. She still didn’t know if he knew who she was or if he got some other affinity with her name, but his reaction had stuck with her and seeing him sitting in the large auditorium scribbling vigorously on something she decided to approach him.

«Hi, I’m Rey» she said taking the seat next to him. He looked up, smiled cautiously and put down his pen. 

«I’m Ben» he said stopping at that. She looked at him, and then his notes and his books. 

«Working on something?» She asked craning her neck to try and spot the title of the very weathered book Ben was taking notes from. 

«I’ve missed the two first assignments already so they gave me a bigger one to catch up, it’s been a nightmare to try to finish it on time» he explained, leaning over his work, resting his elbows over his notes to stop her from peeking, staring intently at her. She didn’t feel intimidated at all, to the contrary, his polite hostility just peaked her curiosity even more. He got beautiful eyes, she could see that right away and a sternness mixed with a hint of cheeky that intrigued her. 

«Need help?» She asked, straightening her back, giving up on peeking on his notes. 

«They said you’d say that» Ben said and he was smiling now, and what a lovely smile it was. She found that she was smiling too although she wondered who _they_ were and so she asked. «The course advisor, apparently you’ve helped a few struggling students during your years here» he explained and it was true, she didn’t mind helping especially since she’d been helped herself in her first months of the first year because she couldn’t really get into the course material. 

«So?» She asked scrunching her nose, trying to not smile too widely. 

«I’m fine, thank you» Ben replied. Closing his note book. More students were arriving now and the lecture would start any minute. He looked as if he expected her to leave. As if her approaching him had been some kind of pity party, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sitting back in her chair she started taking out her computer and her own notes. She could feel his eyes still on her and despite the hint of self-consciousness brought on by such an intense stare did she sort of enjoy it too. 

A substitute teacher appeared in that moment, telling them their usual lecturer was sick for the day. That lecturer was notorious for recycling her lectures and Rey swore she’d seen those power point slides at least twice before. Ben was lucky, only enduring it for the first time. The more the woman kept talking, the less impressed he seemed and she was rather pleased to see him pick up on the fraud that she was that quickly. 

Half way through the lecturer called a break leaving them in a rush and so she turned to Ben who was looking over his notes looking quite unhappy.

«What do you want to be when you finish here?» She asked, trying to sound casual although she had conjured up a pile of questions during the lecture that was so large it would have reached the ceiling in the auditorium had she’d been able to stack them up in their physical form. 

«Work in publishing I think» Ben replied closing his laptop, taking up his book again. 

«That makes sense, we are studying literature after all» she replied, hoping he would have spoken more. She loved the way his voice sounded, so deep and thoughtful. 

«You want to go on to something outside our field then?» He asked, looking up at her over his book. Now that he was holding it up a bit closer to her she could see on the cracked spine he was reading some obscure Scandinavian writer she’d only just heard about. 

«Journalism» she replied at once. It weren’t exactly outside their field, but there were other classes she could have taken, another degree entirely had she been able to choose again, but she got faith she could pull it off anyway. 

«I’m guessing that would suit you» Ben said turning to look at her as he said it.

«What makes you say that?» She asked, never breaking eye contact now as if the two of them were partaking in some secret challenge urging them to hold on, barely blinking as the conversation went on. 

«I’ve been told I’m hard to approach, scary even. You however came right up to me, sat down and started a conversation. Isn’t that what journalists do?» He explained blinking only once as he spoke. For a moment she wondered if she should make up some excuse as to why she had done what she had done. He’d already provided her with the perfect excuse and she had offered him her help, but no, she would say it as it was.

«Pfff I actually find you incredibly cute, that’s why I approached you, but sure, I don’t struggle starting a conversation» she replied keeping her tone light, but she could tell Ben was blushing ear to ear and it took him a good long minute to conjure up a response. 

«What?» He stuttered, so flustered she wanted to hug him right there and then. 

«Just saying it as it is» she shrugged, trying not to smile too widely as she feared he might misinterpret it as her mocking him for his way too cute reaction.

«Please stop spouting nonsense» he muttered staring straight ahead. His long black hair hiding some of his face from her. 

Chuckling she patted his shoulder before getting to her feet. That got his attention as he stared just a hint wide-eyed in her reaction. 

«Want coffee? I can bring you some as well» She offered pointing to the exit door of the auditorium. 

«Sure, thanks» he muttered still looking a bit flustered. She smiled and nodded before giving him the lightest of pats on the arm as to say chill, but if anything had it startled him more. 

Hurrying up the many steps towards the back of the auditorium she took the shortcut to the cafeteria, there was no sign of their substitute lecturer which was a good sign. A few of her classmates were already in the line when she got there, all of them asking questions about the new fellow and how she knew him. 

«I don’t, but I intend to get to know him» she replied smiling before fetching their coffee hurrying back. 

There were no time to pick up their conversation when she returned because she’d hurried past their lecturer on her way there, but she noticed Ben stealing glances at her more than once during the lecture. Having decided not to stare back to startle him she let him think he’d gone unnoticed, but she was already planning her next move once the lecture was over. 

Ben looked over at the woman next to him. A woman who had the audacity to call him cute. If anyone around here was cute then it was her. She got guts too, like almost in a pushy kind of way. He meant what he said about her planning on becoming a journalist, it would suit her for sure. 

Trying to focus on the lecture he found it to be next level bland. This substitute teacher was going over something so basic he was sure at least half the class must have known these things before even starting on their degrees. 

Letting out a sigh he straightened up and stopped taking notes, because what was the point if he knew he would never revise them. Instead he tried his coffee, gifted to him by the now half asleep lady by his side. He could smell before tasting it that it wasn’t just ordinary coffee, it smelled sweet and autumn’ish. Taking a sip he recognized the hazelnut flavor and thought him self lucky not to be lactose intolerant because then he’d already have a problem on his hands. 

Looking over at her until he got her attention, which took a few minutes due to her semi conscious state he gave her a nod as a thank you holding up the coffee. It wasn’t really his kind of thing, but he’d be lying if he said he never had something of the sort before. 

She smiled widely at him once she finally caught on to the thank you and held up her coffee too as if to toast him. She made a grimace after the first sip and then another after gulping down probably half the contents of her cup. 

Leaning over so close he could feel her warm breath on his skin she mumbled something along the lines of «I think they messed up my order, what did you get?» In response he held out his coffee towards her and she took a sniff and now she was smiling again. 

«You got mine I think, good right?» She asked eyeing his cup longingly. 

«It’s okay» he replied conscious that the lecturer was eying them now, getting more annoyed by the second. Wanting to shut her up before they got called out before the entire auditorium he trust his cup at her and it worked. For the next couple of minutes she sat there in an odd nestled owl pose, legs tucked up to her chin, taking tiny sips of what had been his coffee minutes ago. 

When the lecture finally was over had she thanked him for the coffee and asked if he wanted to study together. Parts of him was hesitant, but then again, he did want to. 

For her tiny stature she sure was a fast walker, leading up ahead towards the library after giving him the options of café, library or my place. Figuring «my place» was just a test to see if he had an agenda of his own, which he truthfully didn’t at this point although many men probably would have he’d picked the safest option; the library. There he wouldn’t feel the pressure of keeping the conversation going constantly and he might even get some work done. 

Arriving at the library wing of the campus, which was in the oldest part of the whole place by far he felt his nerves calm down a notch listening to the tapping sound of shoes agains stone as they walked. It was a lovely autumn day and the sun shone in through the large arched windows lining the walls of the wide hall leading them towards the library. 

«This place is nice, isn’t it» she asked walking between the light and shadows of the windows, checking that he was keeping up every other minute. «You kinda look like that Harry Potter teacher in this setting» she teased, scrunching her nose in amusement and he had a feeling he knew who she was talking about. 

It was all because of his long dark hair and floppy black autumn coat. He preferred the coat for this season out of convenience, if it rained his pants didn’t get wet and it got lots of pockets. As a bonus was it a bit too big for him meaning he could wear large knitted sweaters beneath it once snow started attacking them from above when autumn said it’s goodbyes a month or so from now. 

Having declared that she knew the best spot in the entire library, not drafty nor musty according to her they made their way to the far back of the large room which was also the place where a lot of the foreign classics were placed. 

Turning a corner around some really tall bookshelves he saw that there were tiny tables lining the wall with one wooden chair on each side. Above them were more arched windows, but these were partially covered by climbing wines on the outside. This created a warm light and a slightly cozier atmosphere than in the rest of the large room which still echoed in a hollow way when someone walked around in it. 

«I didn’t think this through» Rey said after they’d taken their seats, with just a bit of trouble simply because of his long limbs. His legs would either have to stick out awkwardly on the sides of the table or be straight out under Rey’s chair. Now he was the one chuckling, he couldn’t help his size and didn’t really mind the situation as long as she weren’t uncomfortable. Her expression told him she truly was sorry though, and so he tried to comfort her that everything indeed was fine.

«I’m good if you are» he assured before picking up his computer and pile of books to stack on the table.

«I’m okay» she replied, copying him, bringing out her own stuff and he was surprised at just how many books she was carrying around in that leather bag of hers. She shifted around for a few seconds, legs brushing against his own several times, before she ended up in some odd position sitting on one leg, leaning her chin on the other. 

Thinking that it must be nice to be so small one can shuffle around so much and have so many options for getting comfortable he snorted to himself. It was a snorting of amusement as he imagined himself sitting like that on the small wooden chair. 

«Hm?» She questioned, looking up at him from her book. 

«Nothing» he replied, trying to look calm and focused. 

«If you say so» she responded giving him a look telling him she didn’t quite believe him.

They sat there working diligently for a couple of hours until their stomachs started rumbling. Food weren’t allowed in the library, but Rey snuck him a protein bar and they both brought water which made them last another hour. By then the rain had begun with its steady pitter patter on the large windows and a soft rushing sound could be heard above them on the high ceiling as the rain pounded down on it at full force. 

«Do you live far away?» Rey asked eying the stream of water making its way down the many windows. 

«Not really, they put me in this tiny apartment just off campus as it was the only student housing still available» he replied thinking about the sorry excuse for an apartment he was living in. It was just one narrow room with a bathroom at the back and a single large window at the front. 

She nodded and told him which direction she needed to go for hers, which was the same as his and so they left the library bracing themselves for a brisk walk through the rain. Rey had brought an umbrella and offered to share it, but it was small even for just sheltering her. In the end he’d ended up holding it more for her than for his own benefit, but he had to admit being that close was sort of nice. 

After a brisk walk had she stopped in front of a large brick building partly plastered partly painted white. 

«Here is my stop» she said smiling accepting her umbrella back as they were now taking cover under a large maple tree. 

«Same goes for me» he said pointing at the first floor window with the climbing wines and the crumbling paint by the window corner. 

«Really?!» She’d exclaimed looking at him and then back at the building. 

«Really» he confirmed withholding a smile to himself. 

«I’m sorry they put you in that lousy first floor one» she said as they walked into the narrow hall, she was already moving towards the staircase leading upstairs. 

«It’s okay» he reassured her, he weren’t picky and considered himself lucky to have been able to acquire student housing at all since he arrived late. 

Rey smiled at him, gave him the quickest hug in the universe before thanking him for studying with her that day. 

Feeling slightly air headed as he locked himself into his place he took off his coat by the door and sat down, forgetting all about how hungry he’d been back at the library. It was rare for him to make a friend on the first day of anything, but to make friends with someone as cheerful and persistent, that had to be a first probably in his entire life.

Having drenched through his coat on the shoulders and parts of his chest he pulled his sweater and t-shirt off and pulled a dry sweater out of his closet. Everything that had happened that day had distracted him from his very short deadline on his catch up assignment and so he grabbed an apple from on top of his fridge and sat down to continue his work. 

He was about half an hour into his writing session when his mind started wandering. The fact that they lived in the same building, it was quite nice. 

«Quite nice» he whispered to himself and typed it out in the middle of a sentence attempting to make a pretty weak argument about post modern Scandinavian literature compared to works of older origin. 

Realizing what he had done he backtracked erasing the _quite nice_ , got to his feet and decided an apple weren’t enough to fuel his easily distracted mind. 

He’d just brought out some pots and pans to cook some dinner when he heard a knock on the door. If it was that weird guy across the hall again asking about plastic bags for his recycling he might just snap because that would make the fourth time since he’d moved in three days ago. 

«Yes?» He said staring ahead, seeing no one. Looking slightly down he spotted his new friend Rey holding a bowl of plain cooked pasta out towards him. 

«I made way too much, want some?» She asked holding up the dripping wire sieve towards his face as if he was some horse being offered a dandelion. 

His first instinct was to reject the offer, but why let pasta go to waste. Maybe Rey would stick around, although he had a lot of work to get done was it always nice with some company and this feisty one amused him greatly already.

«Sure» he mumbled stretching out his hand to accept the wire sieve, but she just walked past him into the apartment now holding it over the sink while he followed after her to get a bowl. 

«It’s cozier than I expected» she noted, looking around before flopping the large load of pasta into the bowl he stretched out towards her. 

«Interior design is one of my secret abilities» he said voice dripping with irony. The place was a mess from moving inn. Folded boxes in the corners, piles of books everywhere and a blanket served as curtains over the large window facing the street. 

She laughed and it was a really nice hearty laugh. When she stopped he wished he could hear it again, but being funny wasn’t something he could do on demand. 

Staring at the pasta he wondered what to do with it. He didn’t have any tomatoes of any kind and pulling out the ketchup felt too caveman even for him with Rey watching. Spotting his half dead basil by the window he decided to sacrifice it to turn it into some green pesto. Sacrificing his snack cashews next, throwing in some olive oil, garlic and cheese and there he was. Totally winged the measurements so it could be nasty, but he gave himself ten points for effort anyway. 

Placing it on the table he thanked Rey again for the pasta who’d been watching him with hawk eyes for the first couple of minutes before getting distracted by his books. 

«Look’s good» she said peeking up over his copy of Shakespeare which was falling apart in the seams. «Love your notes by the way» she added turning around the page to show a hangman in the margin with crossed eyes and everything. 

Having just sat down to eat he realized he’d forgotten about salt and pepper and soon begun scurrying around his kitchen trying to find it. 

«It’s by the window where your herb was» Rey said pointing to the salt and pepper holders he’d absentmindedly left by the window before when he was fetching the basil. 

«Right, thanks» he murmured a flush of embarrassment rising as the seconds dragged by, bringing that usual redness he so despised to his cheeks. 

When he sat down again by the table had she followed after him sitting down on the opposite side. 

«Can I try it?» She said eying the pasta hungrily. 

«Let me just check that it’s edible first» he replied taking a big bite. It wasn’t bad, but he’d used the wrong cheese since he didn’t have any parmesan so something was definitely off about it. 

Letting out a sigh he offered her the next bite preparing for further embarrassment, but she smiled, snatched the fork out of his hand and grabbed a few more bites before handing him back his fork. 

«Should have told me you were a good cook» she said, stretching backwards to fetch his book again, almost falling over because of the extreme angle she was tilting the chair at before flopping back down with a crack. 

«Why?» He asked curiously. 

«Bonus points obviously» she replied peeking at him over the book. 

«What would one use such points for» he asked curiously although not expecting a serious answer. 

«Depends» she replied shrugging. 

«On what?» He followed up, not wanting to let it go. 

«Whether you like me or not» she answered not looking over the book this time leaving him to wonder if she meant as a friend or as someone he would potentially date. Deciding that the answer would be yes either way. He gave his response and waited. She didn’t reply right away and so he took a bite of his food deciding to drop the subject before further embarrassment ensued. 

«Good» she said, closed the book and put it on the table before getting to her feet. About to ask what was good he was interrupted by her leaning down, stealing a cheeky kiss before turning on her heel walking to the door. «Now you’ve used up one point» she said smiling that cheeky smile he’d already become so fond of and then she was gone. 

Finishing his pasta he kept touching his lips in slight disbelief. He felt as if he’d just been picked up by a whirlwind, tossed around a few times before being suddenly dropped before completely realizing what had happened. 

Forcing himself to go back to focusing on his assignment he cleaned up quickly after his meal and gathered up his books and computer to sit down on the small loveseat couch which was the perfect fit between two ikea billy book cases at the side of the long room facing opposite the kitchen counters. 

He’d just finished writing his summary, taking a moment to contemplate if it was too late in the evening for coffee when he heard another knock on the door. 

«Hm?» He said, looking down right away this time. 

«Forgot my sieve» Rey said peeking around him into the apartment. She had switched out her clothes now into dark green velvet sweats and a messy bun was on top of her head instead of the smooth hair from earlier. 

«Right» he said, stepping aside to let her fetch it. 

«Still working on your assignment?» She asked eying his computer. 

«Yeah» he replied simply although he felt he was about to call it a day. 

«Mind if I stay while you work?» She asked holding up a book of her own which he had failed to notice her carrying until that moment. 

«Sure, stay» he said shrugging casually although he secretly was really happy that she was back. 

He let her take the sofa, while he moved back to the table deciding to go over the whole assignment for mistakes and spelling errors. He kept sneaking glances at Rey whenever he felt brave enough, because she looked quite cute curled up on the sofa with her book. 

The whole situation made him feel like he’d somehow attracted a stray cat and brought it home having no conscience to abandon it, but he wondered perhaps if Rey felt the same way about him. That she’d spotted a stray at campus that day and had happily brought him home. Either way did he have a feeling his last year of his degree wouldn’t be nearly as lonely as his two previous years. 


	2. Carrot Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing where chapter one left off they continue to get to know each other better which involves everything from baking a cake together to learning why Ben showed up late for his last year of his study for his degree.

He weren’t sure exactly when Rey had dozed off, but looking up from his lap top a while before midnight he saw her head lolling awkwardly backwards on the couch, small snores escaping into the soft hues of the one lamp illuminating the dark room. Saving his work he got up carefully making sure not to scrape the chair against the worn wooden floor. 

«Rey?» He said softly as to not startle her awake. It felt strange to say her name, strange but nice. She didn’t react and so he spoke a little louder. Still no reaction. He tried to shake her shoulder lightly and for a second he thought it worked because she started swatting him away with her hand mumbling something that sounded a lot like _five more minutes_. 

Stepping away he wondered what to do. It was late and they got school the next day, but it was an afternoon lecture so she’d have time to go upstairs and get ready when she woke up. She would be safe with him, but she didn't know that, so she might be spooked waking up. Especially if she woke up during the night. 

Going into his tiny bathroom to get ready to sleep he wrecked his brain for other options, if he’d had friends around he could crash there. Or he could carry her upstairs, but it might be locked and he didn’t want to look around for her keys. 

«She’s the kind of person who might just leave her door unlocked though» he thought staring at his own reflection as he brushed his teeth. Who was he to tell what kind of person she was, they’d only started talking that day, but still he had a hunch.

Putting on a t-shirt to sleep in he decided to go check her door just in case. 

Walking out into the narrow hall, one lightbulb fighting a loosing battle up at the top of the stairs he squinted at the blinking light. Thinking that someone should fix that soon he found Rey’s apartment first door on the right, grabbed the handle and found it unlocked. 

«Right» he muttered to him self as he processed the information. Yet again he wondered if he should carry her home, but instead he grabbed her key, locked the door and went downstairs. Plastic bag guy might be lurking on the hunt for more bags and neither of them wanted him to go searching around on his own. 

He hung the key on the inside handle of his own front door just in case she woke up during the night and wanted to go home. Then he picked up a couple of blankets and nudged her only slightly in a last attempt to wake her, it didn’t work, but at least had she moved so that her head was resting in a more natural position. 

«Good night then» he murmured and turned off the light, but leaving the bathroom door open to let in a thin stray of light. 

When she woke up it was still early in the morning. She could hear the autumn wind push against the old window at the front of the room and felt the draft push past her face. Shuddering she looked around taking another minute to fully realize where she was. She saw her book and phone placed on the table before her and got up to check the time. 05:30 in the morning. 

Looking around feeling cold she saw Ben asleep on his bed, sprawled out like some sea star on an oceanside rock. It looked really tempting to creep up beside him, she was sure his strong embrace would warm her right up, but deciding that would be taking liberties she walked over, placed a small kiss on his cheek and walked over to the front door. 

Grabbing the handle in the half darkness she felt something rustle under her touch and at closer inspection could she see it was her keys. Throwing one last glance in Ben’s direction she smiled and made her way up to her apartment. 

After showering and reading the last chapter for her afternoon class was it still only seven in the morning. Deciding to do something nice for her new friend and neighbor had she grabbed her jacket and headed in the direction of the small high street not far from their apartment building. 

Stepping into her favorite bakery she greeted the old woman behind the desk. 

«The usual?» She asked smiling. 

«Yeah, but double it» she replied getting ready to pay. 

«Hungry today are we» the old woman said handing her the paper bag with the baked goods. 

«No, I plan on sharing today» she replied grinning as she said it. 

«Ohhhhh» the woman replied «You should bring them here next time!» Before handing her small box with a carrot sticker on it. Thanking her profusely she backed out of the door with her paper bag and what she assumed was carrot cake or something of the sort. If it weren’t Ben she was planning on sharing with wouldn’t she have brought the cake with her to visit him at all because it was her favorite and only sold in the winter months. She thought she could almost smell the spicy aroma coming from the box as she hurried back to their apartment complex. 

Almost there she saw the familiar shape of a man she was already quite fond of lock himself out of the complex. Running up to him she managed to stop him at the bottom of the stone steps. 

«Where do you think you are going!» She exclaimed disappointed that her plans might be falling through. 

«I’m out of coffee» he replied looking quite sleepy. 

«Here» she said, handing him the breakfast she’d just bought and the cake. «I’ll share some of my coffee with you» she replied walking up the stairs to the front door, stopping with the door wide open. 

«You coming?» She asked down at Ben who stood there blinking with the cake wobbling dangerously at the top of the paper bag with the baked goods. 

«Oh, sure sure» he mumbled and followed after her back up the stairs. 

She’d managed to confuse him again asking my place or yours for the breakfast, but in the end he’d followed after her up the stairs to her apartment saying something along the lines of _I’ll go where the coffee is._

Ben looked around the small apartment. It was bigger than his, but with a lot more stuff in it so it didn’t really feel that much bigger. She had decorated it in earth tones, complimented by white curtains and bedding. Her table fit four people comfortably, but the chair he was sitting on was quite creaky and wobbly so he could only pray it wouldn’t collapse on him mid breakfast. 

«Sorry about the mess» she excused sitting down opposite him by the table. He shrugged, it didn’t look messy to him, the place was clean, just a little cluttered and who was he to judge someone for that. Like in his place was there two large bookcases on the one free wall and he was already itching to check them out. 

«How’s the coffee?» She asked nibbling on her scones. 

«Not bad» he replied sipping on it between bites of his croissant. «What’s in the box?» He asked eyeing the carrot sticker. 

«Desert» she replied smiling. Was she planning on keeping him around until dinner or did she have desert with every meal. He couldn’t tell, but either way would he be fine. They kept chatting about school and their afternoon lecture, she asked about his assignment which he had submitted before heading out earlier that morning. 

Finishing their breakfast Rey had poured them some more coffee before urging him to open the box. So it was desert for breakfast after all then he mused, opening the small box. Inside was a large piece of carrot cake and the way the aroma of it filled the room as soon as he had opened the box was he suddenly very happy they were having desert with their breakfast. 

Munching away at the cake with each their fork Rey stopped mid chew to ask him what he thought was in to to make it this good. 

«Carrots» he replied jokingly making her snort still mouth full of cake making her cough hard afterwards. «Sorry» he apologized seeing her eyes watering from the coughing. She just waved her hand at him and so he decided to answer her question seriously making a guess at what one would put in a carrot cake. 

«You’ve never made one have you» she said finally done with her coughing. 

«Nah» he replied shrugging. 

«Definitely more fun to eat it than to make it, but we would try some day!» She said eating the last piece which had a sugar carrot on it. 

One thing lead to another and come Friday had she caught up with him by the library that Friday asking if he wanted to make that cake that weekend. They’d been studying together everyday that week and she’d spent the previous night on his couch again so planning to make a cake together didn’t sound like such a big deal. 

«Were probably going to fail you know» he said, following after her in the super market watching her pick up tiny bags of every spice they needed from the spice aisle. 

«Have some faith» she said, poking his chest hard while handing him the bag of carrots she’d been carrying. Soon they'd gathered up everything they needed, paid the cashier and were on their way back through the rain to their apartment complex.

«Do either of us even have something to bake the cake in» he asked carrying the shopping with one hand, holding out their shared umbrella over Rey again. She looked thoughtful for a moment before saying she got one she usually used for cooking lasagna and they both decided that would have to do.

«I can carry it you know» she said reaching out towards the heavy bag he was holding. Her hand already on his, ready to take over. 

«That’s okay, it’s not heavy» he assured her. 

«But you are already holding the umbrella and I’m doing nothing. She complained, still holding her hand on his hand as they walked. He would have been happy for her to just hold her hand over his like that, but caving in he gave her the bag. 

«Now we both got a free hand» she said holding the bag without much strain. 

«Right, if that’s how you want it» he replied trying to let her know he was fine either way. 

«No, this is how I want it» she said, a cheeky smile on her lips while she grabbed his free hand in hers. Squeezing it a few times as they walked, smiling up at him. He couldn’t help but to smile then. 

«Turns out we might just want the same thing then» he replied looking ahead trying to not smile too widely, but it was really hard. He was just that happy. 

The whole way home they never let go of the others hand. By the time they’d reached the front door where they both partially drenched for the rain. Having decided to do the baking in her apartment they split up for a while to get into dry clothes and shower so they wouldn’t catch a cold. 

Standing in the shower not feeling cold at all he wondered what to do or say after what had happened. It was a confession of some sort, there was no denying that, but what did it mean. His eyes were growing itchy from all the water falling into them. Rubbing his face hard he stepped out of the shower and picked out an outfit he didn’t mind if got ruined by their baking endeavor. 

He then ruffled his hair violently trying to dry it quickly, but it was still dripping onto his shoulder and so he grabbed a hair tie from the bathroom and gathered some of it at the back of his head while letting the parts closest to his neck hang loose to dry first

«Ridiculous» he mumbled at his hair, but figured it would have to do. 

It was still fifteen minutes until when they had agreed to meet so he tidied up his place a bit after neglecting it all week, fluffing the pillow, making the bed, straightening the curtains and putting books that was laying everywhere back into the shelves. He then cleared out his fridge for anything about to expire and took the trash out. 

When it was time to go upstairs he stood there hand on the bottom rail of the stairs. It felt cold to touch, smooth in his hand. Trying to calm down he told his heart to stop it with the rapid beating, a steady pace was all he needed, enough with this nervousness and then he walked probably too quickly up stairs. 

The light outside her door was still flickering, but a new bulb was standing in its box in the corner by the neighbors door. He figured they might not have been able to reach it as he had to tip toe to do so. She’d just poked her head out to say hi when he’d replaced the bulb. 

«Thank you» she exclaimed happily, opening the door for him to walk inside. «We’ve been wanting to change it for weeks, but we got no ladder and the people maintaining this place never shows up» she added walking ahead of him over to the kitchen where she got everything lined up. 

«Do you make lasagna often?» He asked more to tease than out of genuine curiosity because the glass mold was pristine. «Not sure how glass goes with cakes either» he added wondering if it would be fine. 

«The frosting will be good either way» she said swinging a spatula in his direction playfully, but giving him a look to tell him she’d caught on to his mockery about the lasagna situation.

Almost two hours later and they were both sitting on kitchen chairs in front of the oven eying the cake as if it was a high intensity sport match on tv. 

«I think it’s fine» she said holding up her poker ready to check if it’s done. 

«Recipe said 30 minutes though, wait 5 more» he urged, but there was no telling her what to do. He watched her poking the cake, taking the the stick out and seeing tiny crumbs at the bottom of it. «See» he said nodding at the cake poker.

«Ouch» she mumbled not looking at it at all. The top of her hand was slowly turning red as they looked at it. 

«Did you burn it?» He asked, knowing there was really no other possibility for the sudden redness. 

«Brushed it against the top of the oven it seems» she mumbled getting up to put her hand under water. 

Feeling a bit helpless he watched her stand there with her hand under the water, completely forgetting about the cake. She told him to go get a wash cloth from the bathroom so she could put it on her hand while they dealt with the cake. Doing as he was told he walked into the tiny bathroom, grabbing a wash cloth from a small poorly folded pile on a shelf over the window.

When he returned were Rey taking the cake out, carefully this time not to burn her self. 

Watching her struggle with the one hand he grabbed it from her and handed her the wash cloth. They knew they couldn’t put on the icing until the cake had cooled off and so Rey had suggested they watch something while they waited. 

Squeezing together into her love seat sofa he was happy that he’d sat down first so that he weren’t the one doing the squashing. She didn’t seem to mind however, once she’d sat down she leaned against him and said: 

«This is cozy» before she begun looking for something to watch. They’d ended up on a cooking show, he didn’t mind what they watched and she said now that she’d begun baking she wanted to learn more although he’d probably done 80% of the work with the cake because she was busy cleaning up the flour which had not unexpectedly been dropped to the floor by someone a bit too excited to get started. 

«How is your hand?» He asked looking down at it resting in her lap, still wrapped in the wash cloth. 

«Still kinda hurts honestly, but it usually takes a while doesn’t it» she said thoughtfully while looking down at it. Then she took of the wash cloth and held it up to look. «You could always try kissing it better» she added switching her focus from her hand to him. 

He felt himself blushing, but kept his cool to the best of his abilities. Where did she get all her guts from? Springing a suggestion like that at him just out of the blue. 

«I don’t think touching it further is a good idea» he began, never breaking eye contact, «but as a distraction..» he continued, already leaning closer. As soon as she caught on to his trail of though had she leaned into him, arching her neck to close the gap between them quicker. Wrapping his arm around her to make the angle less awkward he pulled her closer still and then their lips finally met. 

Softly at first, as if they both questioned if this really was okay, but having both reached the same conclusion they soon pulled closer until he grew tired of the odd angle and pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling his legs between hers. 

She seemed to have forgotten all about the hand, because she was using both to cradle his face for a while, before wrapping them around his neck, one palm resting on his nape as if to hold him in place while deepening the kiss even further. When they broke apart where they both a little flustered and breathless, but more than that really happy. 

«What a lovely first kiss» she said grinning, nose only about a centimeter from his own. 

«Can’t disagree with that» he smiled back. He wanted to say something cheesy, along the lines of how could the kiss not be lovely when he was kissing her, but thought better off it. She’d probably laugh, not that her laughing was a bad thing. 

«Let’s see if we can beat it with our second» she whispered, still grinning before going in for another kiss. 

When they finally got around to finishing up the cake was it already way past dinner time and so Rey had concluded skipping right to desert was the only logical thing to do. Her cheeks were still flushed from the kissing and he could tell without looking that his own hair was a mess. 

Having insisted that they have some kind of dinner he was now stirring a pot of soup made purely out of powder that came out of a bag that said «all natural ingredients» but smelled more like flour then tomatoes.

«It’s good» Rey assured him having finished putting icing on the cake and was now only barely managing to make room for it in the fridge. 

He weren’t a food snob by any means, but this soup situation was a new one. He’d sometime bought pre-made soups too, but they came in liquid shape and not just as a tiny bag of orange colored flour. Rey brought out another casserole then and filled it with water. 

«Let’s cook some macaroni on the side» she suggested already going ahead. 

Watching Ben eat the soup was more than a little amusing to her. He’d been really hesitant at first, a little skeptical through out the whole process of cooking it, but now he looked pleased. 

«It’s not bad» he said pointing at it with his spoon «But I’m pretty confident I can make better» he added before taking another mouthful. 

«That’s nice, invite me over next time you make it then» she replied already looking forward to even better soup. 

«I will» he replied eying a tiny macaroni on the loose at the side of his bowl. They kept chatting while finishing their meal, switching subjects every few sentences as she felt there was so much to talk about, ideas and thoughts to discuss and she loved hearing his replies because they were frankly quite funny and yet always thoughtful. There was no boring moment between them and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such a good time since before she started hanging out with Ben. 

And that kiss.. Her mind kept getting distracted by his lips as he spoke, she thought he might have picked up on it a few times, because he stopped mid sentence and smiled for a moment before he kept talking.

She cleaned up, while he took out the cake from the fridge. She’d even bought tiny decorations for it; carrots and bunnies which she thought fit perfectly, but Ben had pointed out that he related such things to spring and not autumn. They were both taking in the smell of it as they sat down again when she suddenly remembered something she’d wanted to ask him before, but kept forgetting. 

«I wanted to ask you» she began, cutting the cake and placing a piece each on two tiny plates. 

«Mhm» he responded, already chewing away on his cake looking just a hint impressed by the results of their baking efforts. 

«Why did you start term late? Did someone drop out leaving you a spot or?» She’d felt bad for asking as soon as she saw his reaction. His face fell right after she’d spoken the words and he put down his fork, looking away at the darkness outside the window still covered with streaks of rain. 

He opened his mouth twice and closed it again before any hint of a voice came out, the way his eyes had grown dark and a weariness had filled the air around him told her this couldn’t be good. 

«Growing up I always worked part time in this bookshop in my neighborhood. My parents divorced early and it was practically a second home to me. Two days before I was supposed to leave had the shop caught fire and there were massive damages. The old couple who runs it got no family to help them, so I stayed behind helping them to get their business up and running again» he explained sounding quite emotional as he spoke. 

«Was it an accident?» She asked almost annoyed at how things like that peaked her curiosity. 

«The fire department sent specialist to determine if it was started by someone, but the results were inconclusive» he replied and he looked tired now. 

«I can tell that you worry about them» she said, squeezing his hand in hers for a moment. He looked directly into her eyes then and gave a small nod. 

She kept asking questions about them about his work there, wanting to learn more about them seeing as they were so important to him. He talked really fondly of them and how they’d reignited his love for books thanks to their enthusiasm. On the weekends he’d minded the shop by himself and used to sit by the entrance to the shop in the afternoon sun reading when there were few customers. 

«You have to show me the place someday» she said without thinking. He looked sad, probably because it weren’t the same after the fire, but nodded a silent yes response to her request all the same. 

The cake had been good, but now she’d pushed all of that to the side because Ben was obviously still upset and it was her fault. Angry at her self she shook the cake crumbs into the trash more vigorously than she should have, sending them everywhere. 

«You okay over there?» He asked watching her failed attempt at cleaning. 

«Yeah, no, well, I’m just sorry for prying, for bringing it up» she explained before hunching down to pick up the largest crumbs from the floor by hand being too lazy to get a broom from the cupboard. 

«That’s okay, how could you know, besides it’s not as if someone died or anything» he said and it didn’t sound as if he was just saying it to make her feel better. 

He got up and went over to the small cupboard by the front door and got the broom without asking and helped her with the crumbs with a few sweeps of the broom. Then he suggested they finishing their reading for Monday, which she was initially sad about thinking he would leave, but when she had agreed regardless had he excused himself to go get his book.

When he got back had they both squashed together on her small couch reading the same book like some old couple who couldn’t agree who got to read the new book by their favorite author first, so they had bought two copies although it was actually nothing of the sort. The mental image of it she liked though, matching books and everything, even if it just was for school.

It was already midnight when she was done with her part, Ben had a pen scribbling along as he went so he was a bit behind. Putting away her book and going to the bathroom she returned to see him closing his book. 

«You can stay if you want» she offered, already changed into her pajamas figuring it would be bedtime whether he was staying or not. He looked at her for a minute, shrugged and got up. 

«Sure, let me just go down and brush my teeth and find a t-shirt» he replied picking up his stuff. 

Watching him go she concluded that it was quite handy that he lived down stairs or he might just have gone home much earlier. She wanted him to stay, that night and quiet possibly every night. Although they haven’t spoken of any relationship between them had their shared kisses that day definitely confirmed what she had hoped for was the case, that he did indeed like her back. 

Returning from his apartment a little while later he really looked exhausted. She’d already crawled into bed and was opening the window to the side of it when he sat down at the edge of the bed. 

«Your’e lucky to have that second window» he noted watching her set it open at the safety gap.

«Yeah, and if you put your head almost over the edge of the bed you can see the starts» she told him, laying down to show him what she meant. 

«It’s raining now though» he noted sleepily, but still laying down beside her.

«Then try to imagine it, or just maybe I make you see starts» she replied feeling she was pushing it with the cheesiness, sitting up slightly to lean on her elbow watching his expression as she said it.

«Sounds wrong as if I was punched in the face» he replied, brows furrowed to tease her back for the lame attempt at romancing.

«Punched in the face by loooove» she continued feeling a bit giddy all of a sudden.

«Still sounds wrong» he said keeping up his frown, but with his eyes glinting with amusement.

«Oh, just let me kiss you already» she complained playfully. 

«Permission granted» he replied, wrapping his arm around her, pulling her down into another one off his warm embraces while she kissed him without stop just to make the most of her newly earned permission. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession by handholding, hm why not!  
> I’m still figuring out how to write these two, but I think it’s turning out okay. I’m of course open to input on the matter as I’m always working to improve, both my writing in general, but also how I write a specific pairing.  
> I don’t have any close friends who ship them so I’m left to bother my few friends who like Star Wars about my theories xD  
> I’m always open to a chat so do come find me on twitter @FreyaScribbles ^_______^ Just started an account to keep up with everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> You just finished reading my first reylo story ever. I’ve been writing fics for years and years yet I’m really anxious to share this story. This started out as a short scribble to see if I could actually write them, but I just kept going and going. Whether it turned out well or not can you be a judge of. Please let me know in the comments what you think and thank you for reading! ❤️  
> I started out planning this story as an ambitious piece about academics and all that, but in the end I just wanted to patch up my still slightly broken reylo heart because together they are simply better. 
> 
> Usual last word disclaimer, English is not my first language and I'm a Star Wars lore noob despite growing up watching the series.


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